About Columbian College

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is GW’s intellectual and creative backbone—a place where research thrives, critical thinking is encouraged, collaboration is constant and real-world training goes hand-in-hand with learning.

As pioneers of the Engaged Liberal Arts, we equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be effective, responsible 21st-century citizens.

The Engaged Liberal Arts in Action

On the Roof of Africa

For a team of GW students, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was the adventure of a lifetime—and a charitable expedition.

MIA: Chronicling the Long Journey Home

Sarah Wagner’s research on the recovery and identification of MIA service members has taken her from Vietnam battlefields to forensic science labs to the living rooms of reunited families.

Our People

Our History

Elissa Wernick

BA '85, Psychology
Member, National Council for Arts and Sciences

"My time at GW was one of the most pleasurable and formative periods of my life. Not only did I immensely enjoy living in D.C., but the campus' diversity and surrounding city exposed me to a variety of cultures and people who I otherwise would have never met. I made my closest and most enduring friendships at GW."